Hearts: Timeless, Universal, Transcendent

by Susan R. Hanes

Hearts is not a typical gift book. Rather, it is a trip around the world as seen through a magnifying glass. For years, independent traveler and avowed heart lover Susan Hanes has found hearts along the paths of her travels along back roads and countryside, as well as major cities of the world. As she began to notice these pleasing forms in surprising places, she started to document them with her camera. Cleverly matching a heart from one location to another across the globe, Hanes presents a visual essay about our human connections that goes beyond borders and boundaries. Hearts encourages us to seek what is good and hopeful in the world.

152 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2013

Reviews

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What image unites such diverse places as Valetta, Malta; Weimar, Germany; and Jaipur, India? What icon can be traced on wooden walls in San Juan, Puerto Rico; stone pavements in Vienna, Austria; and the embroidered shirts of young men in Sighetu Marmatiei, Romania? Author, photographer, and librarian Susan Hanes spent three decades of her life discovering and documenting hearts everywhere she traveled; in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa--a project which has resulted in a picture book of breathtaking beauty. This extensive, excellent collection of photographs shows the hearts that captured Hanes' discerning eye over the years, from those just freshly scratched into the concrete of today's world, to those drawn in the sandy clay of ancient civilizations. Hanes' way of pairing hearts, both new and old, artistic and popular, shows up heartbreaking connections between different ages, ways of life, and peoples. Her Hearts... is a lovely, moving photographic tribute to one of the most cherished symbols of all time and a wonderful gift for someone you love.